Cotton-picker.



T. E. STRAUS.

COTTON PIGKER.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.2,1912.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914,,

2 SHEETSSHBET l.

$22 26 all 16 2 '1. E.. STRAUS.

COTTON PIGKER.

APPLICATION FILED 0012, 1912.

1,1 1 0,1 58, Patented Sept. 8, 1914-.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

igiflf a 3 30 3] wwweooeo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 'rnnonoan E. swarms, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, assrenoa 'ro WORTHINGTON COTTON HARVESTER COMPANY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, 1A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 19314.

Application filed October 2, 1912. Serial No. 723,519.

To all 1071 am it may concern Be it known that I, THEODORE E. S'rRAUs, a citizen of the United States, residing at 10 South street, Baltimore, State of Mary- ,land, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Cotton-Pickers, of which the following is a description, reference be-.

ing had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in cotton pickers and more particularly to the construction of the pickwhich support the picking fingers are housed within the casing forming the nozzle, whereby said operated parts may be kept free from the cotton fiber.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of picking tooth and supporting means therefor, whereby a single tooth may be removed and replaced without requiring the disassembling of the parts of the picking device.

These and other objects will in part be obvious, and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration, one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a picking nozzle, having my improvements applied thereto, said section being centrally of the intake passage and also centrally of one of the supporting drums or carriers for the picking teeth.

Fig. 2 is a partial bottom plan view, and

partial sectional view through the clutch mechanism, the stripping devices and one of the side plates being removed, while the other is in section. Fig. 3 is an end view of the picker nozzle with the front plate removed. Fig. i is a perspective view of the carrier or drum for supporting the picking fingers, showing the supporting rods with the picking fingers removed therefrom. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through the carrier or drum for the picker fingers,

showin the picker fingers in section, and also t e collars for spacing the same 1n sect1on. Fig. 6. is an end View of the drum or carrier with the front cap and the supporting rods for the picker fingers removed. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the supporting rods for the picker fingers 1n place and insection. Fig. 8 is an end view of the drum or carrier for the picker fingers showing one set of picker fingers and the rods for supporting the same in SGCtIOII. Fig. 9 is a front view of the retain- 1n cap for the drum or carrier. I

y improved picking device consists of a casing 1, having'an intake passage 2, and an lntake picking mouth 3, which extends transversely of the casing. Said casing at its inner end is in the form of a sleeve adapted to be attached to a flexible conveying pipe, which, 1n turn, is connected to a suitable source of suction. Said casing is eX- tended laterally and downwardly so as to form the picking head which is provided WlthdlhB picking mouth above referred to. The lntake passage 2 of the casing extends through to the picking mouth. The casing is formed with a side wall 4:, which extends transversely of the nozzle, and a front wall 5, which is substantially parallel with the wall 4. The walls 4 and 5 are joined by end walls 6 and 7. These end walls (3 and 7 are preferably curved, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to provide asuitable housing for the pick-,

ing devices 8 and 9, which are disposed at each side of the intake passage. The lower part of the casing is cut away at each side of the lntake passage so as to provide inclined faces 10 and 11, which faces are in clined outwardly from the extreme side edges of the nozzle toward the center plane of the nozzle. The front wall 5 of the nozzle is cut away from a point substantially at the outside of one picking device to a point substantially at the outside of the other close the casing where the same is cut away.

A pin 14 is secured to the casing 1, and said plate 13 is formed with an opening adapted to spring over the pin, and which acts to hold the plate in position.

The casing 1 is formed with a second wall =1.

15, which is substantially arallel with the. wall 4, and spaced there'rom, but joined thereto at its outer ends so as to provide a chamber 16. The walls: is formed with 'projecting bearings 17 which extend into the.

chamber 16, and form a support for the picker drums or carriers 18 for the picker fingers. These picking devices 8 and 9 are ,similar in construction, and, therefore, the

description of one will answer for the other. i

The inwardly projecting bearing 17 is bored to receive a hardened sleeve 19, in which the drum or carrier 18 rotates. This drum is formed with a central opening through which extends a shaft 20, which shaft projects beyond the drum and-extends through Theshaft is held rigid in said opening by a set Said shaft is shouldered, as

a suitable opening in the wall 15.

screw 21*. shown 1n the drawings, so as to rest agalnst the inner face of the casing. ;Thisshaft carries at its inner end a cam 21, which 0perates to hold the picker fingers rigid at certain times during their rotation. The picker fingers 22 are mounted upon supporting rods 23. These supporting rods extend the length of the drum and project beyond the inner end thereof. The drum is formed with spaced recesses for said rods. Each rod isformed/with a projecting lug 24, which is so disposed in the drum as to' cooperate with the cam 21. The drum is cut away, as at 25, so 'as'to allow the projecting lug 24 to turn so that said lug may pass the esas to cover the cut away part25, the lug 24 cam 21. When this cam 21 is positioned so will be fixedly held in said recess, which will prevent the rod 23 from rotating, and this -will hold the picker fingers carried by the rod rigid. As soon, however, as the cut away part is uncovered, then the lug can swing toward the center of the fixed shaft 20, and the picker fingers will be released, so that they may oscillate, to a limited extent, about the axis of the supporting rods therefor.

the drum from endwise movement on the fixed shaft, as said fixed cam will engage the drum at one face, whlle at its other face said cam engages the face plate or cap.

The supporting rods for the picker fingers are held in the drum by a face plate or cap 26, which is secured to the drum by suitable screws. This face plate is formed nitrates tooth to be readilyslipped endwise on the supporting rod, and when placed on the rod, said flat face will prevent the tooth from turning relative to the rod. A collar 29 is first placed on the rod, which rests against the face plate of the drum. A picker tooth is next slid on the rod, after which a spacino collar 30 is slid on the rod, then a secon picker tooth is placed on the rod, and then another spacing collar, and finally the third picker tooth. A nut 31 is then threaded on to the end of the supporting rod 23, which holds the picker teeth from endwise movement on the rod. A set nut 32 may also be threaded on to the end of the supporting rod wherein a picker drum or carrier is entirely housed within the casing, and at a point one side the picking mouth and intake passage, so that the cottonfiber cannot work into the operating parts and clog the same. Furthermore, by the above construction, the picking fingers may be readily removed and replaced without disassembling the parts of the drum, and the actuating mechanism for the picker fingers. Also, I have provided a construc-' tion whereby the supporting device for the picker fingers maybe readily removed and replaced.

The picker fingers, as above noted, are stamped from sheet metal, and are. formed so that the active picking face 33 is preferably on a line which is substantially radial to the axis of the supporting rod for the finger. The outer face 34; of the picking tooth is substantially tangential to the shank of the tooth. The tooth is also made relatively wide to a point 34, which is adjacent the extreme point of the picking finger, from which point the tooth is curved to the picking face thereof. By this shape of tooth, T have provided a picking finger or tooth which is extremely strong at its outer active end, and the picking face of the tooth is always at right angles to a plane tangential to the path of movement of any point in the active face of the picker finger, and thereby, the cotton fiber which is engaged by the tooth will be carried along with the tooth until it reaches a oint where the tooth is released and is free to turnbackward to allow the cotton to be stripped therefrom.

In order to strip the cotton fiber from the stantially to the curvature ofthe drum to a.

point 38, andfrom this point said stripping.

plate 36 is substantially straight and parallelwith a planepassing centrally through the nozzle and intake passage. The plate 37 is similarly shaped and is attached to the extreme outer wall 7. These plates 36 and 37 at their outer ends are substantially parallel and are free, saidplates being supported solelyb the end' walls 6 and 7 Each plate 36 and 3 is slotted so as to provide a space for the assage of the picking fingers. The cotton fiber which is carried by the picking fingers will be drawn against the strip ing devices, and the fingers, being released so that they may turn, will be carried backward and gradually withdrawn from the fiber, which will lodge against these stripping devices and be drawn by sue-- tion between the same into the intake passage 2.

As a means for stripping or removing the burs and twigs from the picking fingers, and

for holding back the parts of the burs while the cotton fiber is being stripped from the boll, I have provided stripping fingers 39 and 40. These stripping fingers are attached 1 to the end walls 6 and 7 respectively, and

are substantially straight, but arranged so as to incline outwardly toward the center. plane of the nozzle, and lie substantially in the plane of-each inclined picking face of the nozzle. Said fingers terminate practically at the point where the extreme point of thepicker finger crosses the plane of the picking face, so that any bur or twig caught by the picking finger will be gradually moved along the active face thereof, and rethe intake passage.

leased from the picking point before the picking finger passes into the picking mouth, and reaches the range of suction through The end wall 13 also extends outwardly in a direction longitudinal of the intake passage, as at 41, and said plate is bent inwardly over the picking mouth, and is formed with an outwardly turned lip 42;

The chamber 16 is closed by a cover plate 43, which, at a point adjacent the wall 4, is' bent outwardly at 44, and is formed with a lip 45, which outwardly bent portion and lip are substantially spaced the same "as the lower edge 41 and lip 42 of the plate 13. The inclined faces 46 and 47 of the plate 13 and the cover plate43 serve as stripping faces in the same manner as the stripping fingers 39 and 40. These inclined stripping faces on the side plates and the general arrangement of the picking devices relative to the intake" passage form no part of the present invention, but are shown, described ments cotiperating therewith also form no part of the present invention, but are shown, described and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No, 670,248, filed January 9, 1912.

As a means, for operating the rotating carriers and drums, which support the picker fingers, I have provided the picking device 8 with a gear 48, which is attached in any suitable way to the rotating drum 18, and the picking device 9 with a gear 49, similarly attached to the drum of said picking device. A driving gear 50 meshes directly with the gear 49, and transmits motion to the gear 48 through an intermediate idler 51. Through this gear connection both of the drums will be rotated, but in opposite directions. The main gear 50 is carried by a short shaft,'which is mounted in a suitable bearing 52., This shaft is in the form of a sleeve, through which passes the main driving shaft 53. A cone 54 is rigidly secured to the driving shaft 53 and is adapted to co6perate with a cone-shaped recess 55 in the inner end of the shaft or sleeve carrying the gear 50. The shaft 53 at its outer end is suitably connected to the flexible driving shaft 56 so that the shaft 53 may slide longitudinally relative thereto. A spring 57 hearing against a collar 58 on the shaft 53 normally moves said shaft so that the friction cone 54 is held in driving engagement with the wall of the recess in the end of the shaft carrying the gear 50. By this fric tional driving, it will be readily seen that if a picker finger strikes a hard substance in such a manner as would break the parts,the sections of the friction clutch will slide one upon the other, allowing the picker fingers to stop while the movement of the shaft continues. The parts of the clutch are separated'by a turn button 58, the shank 59 of which extends through the wall of the pro jecting casing housing the parts of the clutch, and is bent laterally at 60. When the laterally bent part 60 is moved into engagement with the collar 58, said collar will be moved in a direction to compress the spring 57 and separate the parts of the friction clutch. The casing for the flexible shaft 56 telescopes within the projecting part of the casing 1, and is held therein by a spring latch 61, which is formed with a lug 62, adapted toengage an annular recess in the sleeve on the end of the casing of the flexipicking fingers are so disposed as to move from a point within the mouth of the pick in device at each side of the nozale, to a oint beyond the picking mouth and into the intake passage. The nozzle is presented to the cotton boll so that the picking fingers will engage the cotton fiber. The stripping devices will hold back the burs and twigs while the cotton is strip d therefrom, an said stripping devices Wlll remove the burs and twigs from said fingers at points 0ut+ side of the range of suction, so that suhstam 'tially only clean cotton fiber is carried by the picking fingers to the intake passage The inwardly bent parts of the plates at each side of the nozzle project beyond the path of travel of the picking fingers and separate the nozzle into two picking re gions, one at each side of said intake pas sage. One face of the picking nozzle may, therefore, be presented to the cotton boil, and b turning the nozzle axially, the other face rought into active picking relation thereto while the stripping plates protect the picking mouth in a plane centrally there.- of, so that the burs and twigs will not be drawn in by suction to the intake passage, as

the nozzle mouth is passed by the same.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of parts may be made Without departin from the spirit of the invention, as set iort in the appended claims.- Having thus described my invention, what ll claim is 1. A picking device comprisin a casing having a picking mouth and inta e passage;

a rotating carrier mounted in said casin at one side of said picking mouth, a plum ity of supports mounted in and supported by said carrier and projecting longitudinally therefrom into said picking mouth, and picker teeth mounted on said supports.

2. A picking device comprising a casing having a picking mouth and an intake passage, a rotating carrier mounted in said casf ing at one side of said picking mouth, picker supports mounted in and supported by said carrier and projecting longitudinally therefrom and picking fingers carried by said supports, said carrier having .means for holding said fingers rigid while the cotton is being removed from the boil, and for releasing said fingers while the cotton is be ing stripped from said fingers.

3.'A picking device comprising a casing having a picking mouth and intake passage, a rotating carrler mounted in said casing at one side of said picking mouth, supports mounted in and supported by said carrier and projecting longitudinally therefrom into said picking mouth, picker teeth mounted on said supports, and stripping devices for strip] ing the cotton from thefingers in said inta re passage.

a iance v d. A picking device comprising a casing having a picking mouth and an intake passage, a rotating carrier mounted in said casing at one side of said picking mouth, picker supports mounted in and supported by said carrier and projecting longitudinally therefrom and picking fingers carried by said supports, said carrier having means for holding said fingers rigid while the cotton is being removed from the boll, andior re 5 leasing said fingers while the cotton eisbeing stripped from said fingers, and stripping devices for stripping. the cotton drain said fingers in said'intake passage.

5. A picking device comprising'a casingazg having a picking mouth extending transversely ofithe casing, and an intake passage connected therewith, a picking device, at each side'of said intake passage, each picking device including a rotating carrier 'lo :cated'at one 'side: of the picking .mouth, picker finger supports mounted in each carrier and. rojecting into the mouth, a plurality of-picker fingers mounted on each support, and means for stripping the cotton; from the picker fingersin said intake passage. l

' did-picking device comprising a casing 'havinga picking mouth extending transversely. ofthe casing, and an intake passage connected therewith, a picking device at each side oi-said intake passage, eachpicking device including a rotating carrier located at one side of the picking mouth, picker finger supports mounted in each carrier and projecting intothe mouth, a plurality of picker fingers mounted on each support, means-for stripping" the cotton from the picker fingersin -said intake passage, and means for removing the burs and twigs from the picker fingers at points outside of said intake passage. j I

YEA picking device comprising a rotat ing carrier, a picker finger support mounted in and supported solely by said carrier and .1 projecting longitudinally therefrom, picker fingers removably connected with said support, spacing collars-for spacing said fingers,'*a-'nd means for securing the fingers on said siipport's.

8. A 'pihking device comprising a rotatin'g carrie'rg -picker finger supports mounted in and supported solely b said carrier and Jprojectingv longitudinally from the end thereof, picker fingers mounted to move 120 freely 'enuwise onsaid support, spacing collarsfofispain' said fingers, means for preventing said," ngers from turning on said snp'ports,,and means for holding the ffingers 'on said siipports.

' 91A picking device comprising a rotating carrier, picker finger supports mounted in ana'sapporad by said carrier, and pros ject'inglhngitudinally therefrom, each suppoitliavinga flattened face, picker fingers 130 carried by each support, and having a flat face to engage the flat face on the support, whereby said fingers are held from movement on said support, means for spacing said fingers, and means for holding the fingers on said support.

10. A picking device comprising a casing having parallel transverse inner and outer walls forming a picking mouth, and an intake passage leading from said mouth, a picking device including a rotating carrier mounted in said inner wall, and substantially flush with the face thereof,- picker finger supports mounted in said carrier and projecting beyond the inner wall into said picking mouth, picker fingers carried by said supports, and means for stripping the cotton fiber from said picker fingers.

11. A picking device comprising a casing having parallel transverse inner and outer walls forming a picking mouth, and an intake passage leadin from said mouth, a picking device inclu ing a rotating carrier mounted in said inner wall, and substantially flush with the face thereof, picker finger supports mounted in said carrier and projecting beyond the inner Wall into said picking mouth, picker fingers carried by said supports and means for stripping the cotton fiber from said picker fingers, said outer wall being cut away, and a removable plate for closing said cut away portion of the outer wall, whereby access may be readily had to said picker fingers.

12. A picking device comprising a rotating drum having a recess formed centrally thereof, a stationary shaft supporting said drum, a cam carried by said shaft, a plurality of picker finger supports mounted in said drum, and each having a lug adapted to engage the cam carried by the fixed shaft, said picker finger supports projecting from the end of the drum, a cap secured to the end of the drum for holding said supports in the drum, and picker fingers carried by said supports,

'13. A picking device comprisin having transverse parallel walls picking mouth, an intake passage leading from said mouth, said casing havlng a wall parallel with said inner wall and forming a a casing chamber, a picking device including a rotating carrier mounted in said inner Wall, a gear for operating said carrier located in said chamber, a driving ear forengaging said ear on the carrier, a so located in said cham er, picker ger supports mounted in said carrier and projecting into said pick= ing mouth, icker fingers mounted on said supports, an means for closing said chamiorming a V lin testimony whereoffi afix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. I

THEQDORE E. STRAUS,

Witnesses i v E. G. son, Green P Barrera 

